Page 10 of The Sweetest Revenge

The house was empty except for Ariella and me. Her mom was away for a charity event, and my father was always at work.

Silently, I pushed out of the chair and opened my bedroom door. I knew the bathroom door would be locked, but I had the key. Without making a sound, I inserted the key into the lock, listening to make sure she was in the shower. I pushed the door open and stepped into the steamy bathroom, listening to her hum a song that was low and sweet.

It was a nervous trait. She'd hummed herself to sleep the first night she'd ever spent in this house. She was seven, and it was the first time she'd been away from her parents. It was Kacie, me, Ariella, and Sterling, and we'd decided to watch a scary movie in the dark. She'd hummed through the whole movie. Not loud, but I could hear her fear. I'd ended up holding her hand until she fell asleep because it turned out she was even more scared of the dark. Those days were over, and I'd never be the one to hold her through her fears again because now I planned to terrorize her and become what her fears were made of.

I knew all of Ariella's dreams, knowledge that would make crushing them effortless. I understood exactly what she cherished, making it simple to strip it away. And I was intimately familiar with her deepest fears, the perfect weapons to use against her.

My hand hovered over the light switch. One flick and her biggest fear would engulf us. I needed to move with precision, relying on sound and memory rather than sight. I drew a silent breath and held it.

Darkness.

Her scream pierced the black void. The curtain rings scraped against the rod as I yanked it aside. Then chaos—water spraying, her hands flailing wildly, desperate to connect with anything. With me.

"No!" Her voice echoed against the tile.

I caught her wrist mid-strike, the impact vibrating up my arm. Cold metal kissed skin as the first cuff locked into place. She twisted violently, her wet body slippery, but I'd anticipated this. Her spine hit the tiled wall with a dull thud.

"Stop—" The word died in her throat as I secured her other wrist.

The handcuffs rattled against the shower rod, a metallic rhythm punctuating her ragged breathing. Only then did I allow myself to acknowledge the heat that spread through me where her skin had brushed mine. The memory of a different time, a different touch.

I searched for the light switch, wanting to see her fear.

"Zaiden." My name emerged from her throat like something feral, halfway between recognition and curse.

I let the silence stretch between us, savoring the ragged sound of her breathing. Water continued to fall, striking her skin before spattering against the tub.

"I always knew you'd put up a good fight." The words came out rougher than I'd intended, betraying exertion I didn't want her to hear.

The cuffs struck the shower rod three times in quick succession. "Zaiden, let me go."

My fingers found the light switch and hesitated, prolonging the moment. When I finally flicked it on, the sudden brightness was almost painful. I blinked, my vision adjusting, to find her staring back at me with eyes like blue flames.

Water beaded on her skin, tracking down her curves. I brushed my hair back, giving myself time to rebuild the mask of control she'd nearly dislodged.

There was no denying Ariella was hot. She was petite, with curves in all the right places. Her skin was deeply kissed by the sun except for the little triangles of creamy skin around her pink nipples that pulled tight like she was cold and a patch over her bare pussy. I dragged my tongue along my bottom lip as I fantasized about running my tongue along her tan lines, wondering if she still tasted the same as she did back then. "I think it's time we had a chat."

"Can we not have a conversation like normal people?” she hissed. She pulled her leg up, twisting slightly to hide herself from me.

"This was your choice, princess," I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the door frame. "When you let your little boyfriend talk for you."

"What the fuck do you want, Zaiden?" She seethed. She was angry. Good, that was exactly how I wanted her.

"I think it's time we set some boundaries," I smirked. "Or should I say rules?"

"Great," she forced a smile. "Boundaries would be great. Starting with no more leaving me naked, and I want my laptop back."

I laughed. "No, the rules are for you, not me." My eyes held hers. "And if you want your laptop back, you'll have to follow my rules."

She rolled her pretty blue eyes. "Go fuck yourself, Zaiden. I'm not following your rules." She jerked against the shower rod, making her perfect round tits bounce. "If you didn't know how this works, I'm part of the football team. You don't set rules for me."

"I had a feeling you would say that."

I remained against the wall, watching her. Letting her think she still had some control. Letting her believe her defiance meant something.

I pushed off from the wall when her eyes narrowed with suspicion. My hand slid into my pocket, fingers closing around my phone.

"Let me tell you how this is actually going to go."

---